Want to buy cupcakes online? It's possible, but it's gonna cost you to ship them. And what if you want just one? Not possible; of the few online retailers who will ship cupcakes, rarely will they sell them in quantities less than 9 or 10. If you ask us, that's a lot of commitment for cupcakes. So, with a goal of figuring out what might be an easier way to ship cupcakes--say, to a buddy for a "thinking of you" present or perhaps a care package to a faraway relative--the Cakespy crew recently did a cupcake shipping experiment, packing and shipping cupcakes in four different ways to see what might work and what definitely would not. Here's the rundown:

Who did it? Mr. and Mrs. Cakespy (a couple of serious troublemakers)

What did we do? We shipped 4 parcels containing cupcakes, each packaged in a different way, to see which ones would arrive in the best condition. (Note: To ease our holiday-stressed budget, the cakes were all from an economy-sized box of "Fun Cakes with Buttercreme Icing"--their spelling--from the local QFC grocery store; the cupcakes themselves were of a medium size, so this experiment might not turn out the same with jumbo or mini cupcakes).

Why did we do this? To see how well cupcakes need to be packaged to ship safely...and to see how they arrive if not packed carefully. And, you know, for fun.

Where did we ship the cupcakes? For ease of time and budget, we shipped each package from ourselves to ourselves (so each parcel would remain within the Seattle city limits). The transit time in this case should be just one or two days.

How did we do this? We packed the boxes as follows:

Box 1 (Above): In the first package, we packed a cupcake in a padded envelope just by itself, no additional packing material. Not so sure about this one. Shipped via first class; total cost $1.31.

Box 2 (Above): This one we have high hopes for; an individual cupcake packed in the Cup-a-cake carrier with bubble wrap all around it, in a box. Shipped via first class, $2.83.

Box 3 (Above): This cupcake was wrapped in tinfoil and surrounded by newsprint, thenpacked in a box. Risky, or will it be OK? We wonder. Shipped via first class; total cost $2.49.

Box 4 (Above): we tried putting a few cupcakes (to avoid them sliding around) in an airtight container, then padded around it with newsprint. Seemed pretty safe. Shipped via priority mail (it was cheaper); total cost: $4.60.

*Note: the shipping method for each box was the most economical, and none of the parcels were marked as fragile or given any special treatment.

And as for the results? Well, at the time of this writing all of the parcels were currently in transit; check back on Friday to see the results! But in the meantime...which one do you think will arrive in the best condition?

Not sure which one will arrive in the best shape (my guess is the multiple cupcakes in one Gladware container), but I hope for your sake they don't get delayed in the mail because of the holidays. I wouldn't want to see those cupcakes after a couple of weeks ::giggle::

i have to weigh in: a) no way that cupcake in the envelope is going to survive. b) because i believe in the underdog, i'm voting for foil surrounded by newsprint, because i will be thrilled if it works! look forward to your results report!

can you feel my admiration? i adore this experiment. can't wait to see the results. i'm voting that the single cupcake in the carrying case will do the best...but...you can never tell when dealing with such volatile goods...the frosting explosion on the one in the padded envelope is going to be a real sight to behold i think.

It must have been so fun doing this!! :)Thanks for taking the time to try out this experiment! I can't wait for the results either. My vote is for the multi-packed cupcakes in the plastic container! Yes, I know the one in the single plastic container will work too, but hey...receiving more than one cupcakes is even better!!

So funny! When I send cupcakes home with guests I put them in a plastic Solo cup (you know the ones we used to use in college so no one knew what was in it!!) and top it with plastic wrap...and if it's a tall glass, I make it two cupcakes, frostings touching in the cup! I suppose you could do this and then ship them in a box too...